Record European Union cinema box office takings in 2009. According to the European Audiovisual Observatory estimates, gross cinema box office takings for the European Union increased by 12% year-on-year to a new record high of €6.27 billion in 2009 (€5.6 billion in 2008). Box office growth was fuelled by a 6% surge in cinema attendance to an estimated 981.1 million tickets sold in 2009, up from 925.3 million in 2008, and by increasing average ticket prices, largely thanks to premium prices for 3D screenings. It was the latter in combination with the release of a significant number of big-budget 3D blockbusters such as Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Up or Avatar, which convinced many exhibitors to install digital 3D projection systems in their cinemas, thereby increasing screen space for these films and allowing them to realise their full potential. All three titles made it into the top 5 films of the year selling a cumulative 86 million tickets throughout the EU. Theatrical markets grew in almost all territories across the European Union in 2009. Gross box office increased in 21 out of the 23 EU member states for which data are available, with only Ireland and Latvia registering a decline. Admissions increased in 20 EU markets, while decreasing in only six. 2009 was also a year in which the European cinema landscape was more than ever dominated by blockbusters, with the number of films generating more than 5 million admissions increasing from 34 to 42 and market share for the top 100 films increasing from 69% to 75%. Theatrical markets, which performed particularly well in terms of admissions, were Germany, (+ 13.1%), France (+5.7%) and the United Kingdom (+5.6%). 2009 saw EU production levels continue to grow, though at a slower pace, to a new record high. Based on the provisional data available, the Observatory estimates that a total of 1,168 feature films, including feature documentaries, were produced in the 27 member states of the European Union in 2009, up 28 films from the previous record year 2008 (1140 films). Growth in production activity was primarily the result of a strong increase in German fiction films, increasing from 96 film releases in 2008 to 129 in 2009. The economic crisis does not appear to have had a negative impact on film production in Europe, notes the Observatory. Overall, fiction films accounted for an estimated 80% of total European production volume, feature documentaries for around 20%. The number of European fiction films increased from 859 in 2008 to 887 in 2009 (+28) while the production of theatrical feature documentaries remained stable at 281 productions. With 194 feature films released in 2009, including 65 feature documentaries, Germany became, for the first time in recent history, the country with the highest production output in Europe, followed by the former leader France where production levels fell from 196 features to 182. Based on available data, the European Audiovisual Observatory estimates that European films captured a provisional market share of 26.7% of total admissions in the European Union, down from 28.2% in 2008 and the lowest level since 2005. Market growth was primarily driven by US blockbusters in 2009, illustrated by the fact that market share for US films climbed from 65.6% to an estimated 67.1%, the highest level since 2003. While many European countries had registered record national market shares in 2008, market shares for national films declined in 18 out of 23 member states for which data were available in 2009. Exceptional market shares for local films were nonetheless achieved in Germany, with national films reaching a record market share of 27.4%. In Sweden, admissions to local films increased by 81.5% year-on-year. 2009 also proved to be a good year for Spanish films, which generated 22% more admissions than in 2008 and took a market share of 16%. French films remained the most successful films in the EU market in terms of admissions, despite seeing their market share dropping from 12.1% in 2008 (driven by the extraordinary success of Welcome to the Sticks) to 8.7%. Thanks to strong results in their home market, German films ranked second, taking 4.1%, followed by UK productions accounting for 3.9% of total admissions in the EU. (I.L./transl.fl)